


Shiver

by sonneta



Category: Forever (TV)
Genre: F/M, Huddling For Warmth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-05
Updated: 2017-01-05
Packaged: 2018-09-14 22:32:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9206984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sonneta/pseuds/sonneta
Summary: Henry and Jo get trapped in the cold.  Will Henry have to reveal his secret in order to save Jo?





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [andveryginger](https://archiveofourown.org/users/andveryginger/gifts).



Henry realized that he might have to die in front of Jo. It wasn't his first choice, but under the circumstances, it might be necessary to save her. Even after all that effort he made to explain away the picture Jo had found - an effort that he was fairly sure she didn't quite believe - the secret might now come out due to their predicament. _Damn Adam._

Then again, he could hardly move from her side now. Their shared body warmth was the only thing keeping Jo from hypothermia, he was fairly certain. Of course, it was probably the only thing standing between himself and hypothermia, as well, but he would come back if he froze to death. So, he was faced with an unsolvable dilemma: die to try to rescue Jo, and expose his secret while quite possibly dooming her to death by hypothermia anyway. Or, stay here and hope against hope that somehow, someway, they would find a way out.

The wind blew, stinging Henry's face with cold. He and Jo were trapped here together, on top of one of New York City's tall towers. The view would be quite scenic if it wasn't a rather cold day in January. The wind hadn't been too bad on the ground, but up here, the currents were strong and they just made it that much colder. Henry could feel his lungs stinging from the cold of the air around them, and he spared a thought to hope that Jo wouldn't catch some sort of cold or worse, if - when they got out of this.

It was his fault, really - rushing in to try to catch Adam, and it turned out to be a trap. Jo shivered, and Henry tried to press himself closer to her - if that was even possible. God, he was such an idiot sometimes...

_Earlier that day_

Henry's phone rang, and he picked it up. "Morgue," he said absently.

"Hello, Henry," said Adam. Electricity ran all down Henry's body as recognition clicked in his mind. Adam was fully functional again, apparently. Henry's face pinched with annoyance. He had hoped that his gambit of putting Adam in a coma would buy him more time than this - more time to do what, he wasn't sure, but with more time perhaps he could have figured out a better way to get Adam out of his life.

"What do you want, Adam?"

"I want to talk, Henry. I want to talk about your stupid idea that humanity is somehow worthwhile," Adam said.

"I don't want to talk," Henry said. His pulse beat at a rate Henry could feel thumping through his limbs. The hate he felt toward Adam was pulsing through his veins.

"Well, that's too bad," Adam said. "Because I do. You see, I found something I think your detective Martinez might find very interesting."

"Adam, you leave her out of this!" Henry said. Surely even Adam wouldn't... but Henry couldn't finish that thought, not without great panic at the knowledge that Adam very well might.

Adam laughed. "Oh Henry, you're so young sometimes. I've already invited her along."

"What did you say to Jo?" Henry asked. Adam talking to Jo could not at all be good... knowing Adam, he had probably guessed exactly how much Jo meant to Henry. Which meant Jo was in grave danger. 

"Don't sound so worried," Adam said. "I just invited her to come with you to the top of Prescott Towers. I have something I think she - and you - might be quite interested in."

"What do you have?" Henry asked. His mind raced... he couldn't even imagine what *else* Adam could have that would implicate his secret to Jo, but he didn't want her anywhere near it.

"Come to Prescott Towers and see," Adam said. 

There was a click before Henry could ask more. He almost crushed the phone with his grip, but ultimately put it down. He had to find Adam, and somehow he had to protect Jo from Adam as well. Adam could be cruel, and Henry very much wanted to spare Jo that cruelty. Plus, if Adam spilled Henry's secret, Henry didn't think Jo would ever forgive him for not telling her the truth by now.

Henry excused himself to Lucas, saying he needed to run an errand. Then, he went up the elevator and practically ran into Jo, who was standing at the elevator waiting to come down, presumably to see him.

"Henry, I just got the weirdest phone call..." Jo started.

"Yes, I know. From Adam. He called me too,"

Henry said.

"Who is he? He said he was a friend, but I can tell from the way you're acting that he's not."

"No, not at all," Henry agreed. "More of an enemy." _Definitely an enemy,_ Henry thought, remembering the night that Adam had killed him without so much as a "sorry."

"An enemy?! Henry, how did you make an enemy of this guy?" Jo asked.

"It's... hard to explain," Henry said, wincing. He knew Jo wouldn't like that answer.

Jo glanced at him, looking unconvinced. "Henry, with you, a lot of things are hard to explain. You know you can trust me, right?"

Henry ducked, wounded by her words. Trust. It was a hard thing for Henry to invest in anyone, especially given the ramifications if the wrong person discovered his secret.

Jo sighed. "Henry, we have to go to Prescott Towers and meet with this Adam guy. The least you could do is tell me what we're facing, here."

Henry swallowed, then nodded. "There's a man... do you remember my stalker?" He felt perhaps it was best to tell a near-truth, in this case.

Jo's eyes widened. "Your stalker? You killed him, didn't you?"

Henry shook his head. "No, the man that I killed was unfortunately innocent of that charge. My real stalker, Adam, had made the man look guilty."

"Your stalker's still out there? Henry, why didn't you tell me?" Jo asked.

"I didn't want anyone to worry," Henry said. That was true - he didn't want Jo to worry about him being stalked, because then she might dig deeper and discover the secret that Adam held over Henry. Plus, she could easily put herself in danger - Henry didn't like to believe Adam capable of harming Jo, but the truth of the matter was that Adam had certainly done worse.

"What does he want?" Jo asked. "All he said to me was that you and I should meet him on the roof of Prescott Towers."

"He has something... or says he has something. He says it should be important to me," Henry said, trying to skirt the truth of the matter - that Adam could - and probably did - have something that could ruin his carefully-crafted facade.

"And you believe him?" Jo asked.

"Yes," Henry replied. "Adam is very... resourceful. He will go to any lengths to find something he thinks he can torment me with."

"God, Henry..." Jo said. "I'm sorry you've had to deal with this guy. You really should have told me. I am a police officer, you know."

"Yes, well... I didn't want you to put yourself in danger," Henry said. This was the complete truth - he absolutely did not want Jo to get hurt or worse dealing with Adam. Henry would rather leave New York - even his own son - again, than to have Jo get hurt. That thought made his mind stutter for a moment, because he knew it to be right although it seemed wrong. He did not want to lose contact with Abe - not now, when Abe was so old and any day could be his last - but he'd rather take the chance of missing Abe's last years than to cut Jo's life short.

Jo just sighed, shaking her head. She thought that she was better-equipped for danger than Henry was, he knew. She was a police officer, with all the training and fire-power that entailed. But she was still mortal.

"Henry, I face danger every single day. You know that. It's what I was trained for," Jo said. "But come on, let's go see this Adam guy, I'd like to have a word with him myself."

Henry nodded, cursing himself internally for being honest. "Alright. But let me see him first - I don't want him to start stalking you," Henry said.

Damn and double damn. This was not at all what Henry had been hoping. He had wanted to keep Jo far away from Adam, and now Henry was leading her right toward him.

* * *

Henry and Jo had driven to the roof in silence, each lost in their own ruminations. For Henry, he was worried about what Adam might do. What Adam might have. And what the consequences would be, once Adam had done or said whatever he was going to do.

Henry looked over at Jo as they got out of the car and walked in to Prescott Towers. Her face was set in a hard mask, probably ready to take on a barely-known opponent. He knew she was still hurt because he hadn't told her the full truth. She had been business-like with him, but had pulled back a bit from their normal friendship. Nevertheless, she was still here. She was still willing to face Adam simply because Henry was facing Adam. She thought she needed to protect Henry, and that touched his heart, because it had been so long since anyone had tried to protect him.

"NYPD," Jo said to the receptionist, showing her badge. "How do we get to the roof?" 

"Up the elevator to the 63rd floor. From there, you have to take the stairs," the receptionist, a young man with slicked-back hair, said.

"Jo, please..." Henry started, but Jo cut him off.

"No, Henry. You're not going on the roof alone with a guy who almost had you killed," Jo said.

They both walked up to the elevator, and got in.

"Jo, I don't want Adam to hurt you," Henry begged. "Let me talk to him, perhaps I can see what he wants, perhaps I can reason with him."

"Alone? On the roof? I don't think so, Henry," Jo said. 

Henry closed his eyes in dismay. Soon, they would face Adam - and who knew what the older immortal had.

On the 63rd floor, Jo and Henry got off and walked over to the stairs. There were black stenciled letters on the wall that said "ROOF ACCESS" with an arrow pointing up.

Jo and Henry climbed the stairs, and finally reached the door headed to the roof.

"Look, I'll let you talk to him alone, but I've got your back," Jo said. "If you need me, holler."

Henry nodded. It was probably the best he could hope for. His veins thrummed again with the fear of what Adam might have - and what he could do. Not to Henry, Henry had died many times and could hardly be scared for it now. But he was terrified of what Adam might do to Jo. Of what Adam could do to the still-fragile relationship he had with Jo, which he desperately wanted to keep.

When they got to the roof, Henry saw Adam looking over the far edge. Jo nodded to him once and pulled her gun into her hand. Henry, of course, knew how little good it would do her. He sighed, and walked to Adam.

"Well. Here I am. What do you have?" Henry asked.

Adam smirked. "I got you here. That's what I really wanted." He looked back, and saw Jo. "And your lovely detective, too."

Henry tensed. The wind was blowing, cold slapping his face. 

"Why are we here?" Henry asked. "What do you want?"

"Look in the box over there," Adam said, pointing to a metal box near the corner of the building. "You'll see."

Adam smiled, and walked away. 

Henry was torn - should he walk to the box, or should he follow Adam? Finally, he walked toward the box.

"Stop!" Jo brought her gun up, walking towards Adam. "NYPD! You're under arrest!"

Adam barked a laugh, an awful sound that almost seemed more like a cough from deep in his lungs. "On what grounds?"

"Stalking," Jo said, reaching for her handcuffs.

But then, Adam ran. Jo ran toward him, but he knocked her down as he passed. She got up and chased, but not quite fast enough. Adam threw open the roof access door and shut it with a loud "clang".

Jo went over to the door and pulled, but nothing happened.

"Damn," Jo said. "He locked it, somehow."

Henry came over to look, the box forgotten for the moment. He could see no way to leverage the door open. There was no lock on this side, just a smooth door handle. He tried turning the handle, pulling on it, even pushing it, but it was firmly locked.

"What do we do?" Henry asked.

Jo put her hand in her coat pocket, pulling out her cell phone. "Damn. Can't get a signal up here," she said. "Try to get the attention of someone inside?"

Jo and Henry walked to the door and started pounding on it. "Hello! We're trapped, help!" Jo called.

"Anybody, help!" Henry called, pounding.

Winded, they both stopped after a few minutes. "It's no use," Henry said. "We're too far from the nearest floor. Someone would probably have to be on the staircase to hear us."

Jo nodded. "And I can't imagine there's too many people wanting to come out on the roof on a day like this."

Just then, the wind blew, and Henry realized that they were in deep trouble. He remembered Abe jokingly playing "dad" that morning, reminding him to "bundle up, it's cold out there!" And, indeed, the temperature must be near freezing, especially up here with the wind chill.

"We need to conserve heat," Henry said. "It's quite literally freezing out here... you - we could freeze to death."

"Conserve heat?" Jo asked, folding her arms into her chest. "How?"

"Come, close to the door. We'll stand together and share our body heat," Henry said. 

Jo looked at him askance for a moment, but then nodded. They both huddled together facing the door, their backs toward the wind. Henry opened his coat and motioned for Jo to come up next to him, which she did. Henry wrapped his right arm around Jo's back, and Jo in return wrapped her left arm around Henry.

"Henry, if - if I d-didn't know you better, I'd t-think you were coming on to me," Jo said.

Henry smirked, though he doubted Jo could see it. "You know I'd be rather more forward if that were my aim," he said. 

Jo laughed.

* * *

 _The present_

So, here Henry was, faced with his dilemma: to try to save Jo by jumping off the building - and then having to explain it, provided she survived - or, to stay here and share what little warmth he had, hoping that neither of them would freeze to death.

"I'm sorry, Jo," Henry said. "I should have known that Adam just wanted to trap us." And indeed, it made a sort of terrible sense - Henry would soon be forced expose his secret in order to try to save a beloved colleague - no, a beloved friend.

"Hey, it's not your fault your stalker's a complete psychopath," Jo said.

Henry huffed a laugh. "Let's stomp our feet, keeps the blood going."

They both stomped, and Jo snuggled her face into Henry's shoulder.

"Geez, I didn't realize it was this cold. I mean, I knew it was cold, but - we were inside most of the day," Jo said.

Henry tried to suppress a shudder. "Yes, and up here we're unprotected from the wind," he said. 

"You know, temperature drops at higher altitudes. We're high enough up that it's probably a few degrees colder here than it is on the ground," Henry added.

Henry felt Jo smirk against his shoulder. 

"Henry, are you really trying to show off your knowledge? Now? When we could both die of hypothermia?" 

Henry squeezed Jo's arm. "Sorry. Force of habit."

Jo shivered as the wind blew again across her cheek. This couldn't go on for too long, Henry knew. If his indecision killed Jo, he'd never forgive himself.

"Listen, Jo, I --" 

But he never got any farther. Just then, the roof opened and Henry and Jo nearly fell forward, but braced each other to stand in place.

"Whoa, I thought maybe you guys were still up here!" The receptionist said. His name tag, Henry read now, said "Brian." He motioned them to come through the door. 

"Just one moment," Henry said. He jogged to the edge of the roof where the metal box that Adam had pointed out sat. He debated opening it for a moment, but then decided that it could wait until he was somewhere warmer. Henry tucked the box under his arm and jogged back, going through the door which the receptionist held open.

"Hey, sorry, looks like someone jimmed the lock so you guys would be stuck out there," Brian said. He motioned them down the steps. "Might have been some kind of bad prank."

"Something like that," Jo said. They all walked to the elevator, and got in.

Jo asked, "Did you see a man, a little older than us, with dark hair? Big ears, kind of a long mouth?"

Brian thought for a minute. "I don't think so. I'm sorry, a lot of people come and go through our doors," he said.

"That's alright. How did you know we were still up here?" Jo asked.

"A Detective Hanson called for you," the receptionist said. "We paged you a few times over the building's PA system. When you didn't come, I realized you must still be up here."

Henry blew out a relieved breath. "Thank goodness for Hanson."

"We definitely owe him a beer," Jo agreed. "Or five."

By then, they had reached the ground. Henry and Jo thanked Brian for rescuing them and then got back into Jo's car.

In the car, Henry brooded. He was going to have to tell Jo the truth, one of these days. He had come dangerously close to losing her today, and all over the indecision of how best to keep her alive. It would have been easier if she knew that he couldn't die, he could have left her there knowing that she would try to hang on until he came back. 

And he knew that now, Jo would also be on the hunt for Adam. Since she didn't know Adam was immortal, he could do her great damage. Of course she could kill him, but he would always come back.

Henry sighed. Jo would have to be told the truth, he just had to figure out the best way to tell it. And hope that she believed him.

Jo stopped at Abe's shop. "Well. I'd rather not repeat that adventure," she said.

"Quite," Henry agreed. "Adam can be rather... trying."

Jo looked away. "Are you going to open that box tonight?"

The box. God, he had nearly forgotten about it. It sat on his lap now, unassuming but potentially highly damaging.

Henry made a decision. Jo had shown him a lot of trust today, and she deserved to have it reciprocated. If she rejected him, it would crush him, but he thought perhaps she would come to his side. Eventually, if not tonight.

"Would you come in with me? We could open the box... together." Henry said.

Jo's head whipped around, her eyes startled. "Henry... are you sure?"

Henry nodded. "Yes. Abe should be free, perhaps he can help... explain some things."

Jo smiled. "Yes, I'll come in with you." She turned off the car, and they walked in to the shop together.

 _Deep breath, Henry._ "Well, the story actually starts a long time ago... in 1814. Or, perhaps, I should start with 1779..."


End file.
